with hours left in 2012 lawmakers do not appear close to reaching a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff we may be going ov going over. >> secretary of state hillary clinton in the hospital right now doctors discovered a blood clot. you can forget about days we are down to hours for law americas to reach a deal. >> doug luzader live from washington with the latest. doug? >> a deadline is hours away come midnight. it's not just the tax hikes that are scheduled to hit it's big cuts in government spending as well. 2013 could be off to a difficult start if there is no resolution. listen to this bleak assessment from capitol hill. >> the future of the country rests in the hands of 70 and 80-year-olds who have jet lag it's probably not the best thing. >> could joe biden be the fix? he appears to be taking over for democrats after a counteroffer to prevent a big tax hike is met by silence. harry reid says democrats couldn't respond. >> there is still significant difference between the two sides but negotiations continue. there's still time left to reach an agreement and we intend to continue negot